Diy budget led build

DIY BUDGET LED BUILD

This is going to be a LED light for a nano, but some of the ideas could be used on any size light. I did a couple of things that can save you money and you can do it too.

First is the heat sink, Instead of buying one I used 3 computer heat sinks and epoxyed them together to give me the size I wanted. Then I sanded the bottom so it would be clean to the aluminum with that done I gave it a squirt of paint on the top only just to make them all match.

Here are the heat sinks.

The epoxy I used.

Glued, sanded and painted.

With that done and dried it is time to mount the LED’s. But first let me tell you what I did to save some on the LED’s. Ebay is where I got them and no they aren't the cheap knock off ones. I found someone selling 4 strips of 6 LED’s and these are the ones used in the Solaris LED fixture, a pricey fixture to me but good quality. I should mention that one of the emitters wasn't working and I just by-passed it. So for $20 including shipping I got them all.
OK back to mounting the LED’s there are several ways to do this and I chose to use thermal adhesive, it is a two part adhesive and you use it just like epoxy two equal parts mix together and apply the cure time varies but one hour is usually good.

This is the thermal adhesive I used.

LED's mounted

Drivers
This is ware I went with a bit more money and it could have been done for less, but I wanted it to be dimmable and that costs more and for this application is best.
I used 3-Buck puck drivers with a external pot. This could have been done on two but with one emitter bypassed it gives an uneven amount and wouldn't work so I used a extra driver for just 2 LED’s. This way every thing is dimmable and you can dim just the whites or just the blues or both what ever you need or want. The part that makes this method more expensive is you also need a power supply; I am using a 24 volt 30 amp power supply.

Recommended Links

About CaptiveReefs

If you are interested in learning about reefkeeping or have a problem with your reef, our reefkeeping community is here to help. Feel free to ask a question or search our site. We have lots of experienced reefkeepers that are willing to provide free reefkeeping advice!

Besides being a great resource for all levels of reef aquarium hobbyists, CaptiveReefs is a social experience that will enhance your enjoyment of reefkeeping. CaptiveReefs is committed to connecting reefkeepers with the support and information they need to grow beautiful coral reef aquariums.